European Journal of Medicinal Plants

Evaluating the Effect of Environmental Factors on Quality Characteristics of Lavandula angustifolia Essential Oil Using Satellite Images and Remote Sensing

Vasileios Liakos — 2025-09-09

Medicinal and aromatic plants have been used for centuries due to their beneficial properties. One such plant is lavender (Lavandula angustifolia), widely known for its essential oil. The composition and quality of lavender essential oil are influenced by various environmental factors. The present study aimed to investigate the impact of climate on the quality characteristics of L. angustifolia essential oil, using satellite images and remote sensing. The research was carried out on a 0.5 ha commercial lavender field at Kozani, Greece. Qualitative analysis of the essential oil was performed in a chemical laboratory from 2019 to 2023, with substance identification carried out using gas chromatography. Climate data, including temperature, relative humidity, precipitation, wind, and solar radiation, were obtained from NASA Power for five years (2019 – 2023). Additionally, NDVI (Normalised Difference Vegetation Index) and NDWI (Normalised Difference Water Index) indices were extracted from Sentinel 2 satellite imagery. The values were retrieved from climateengine.org. It is a freely available remote sensing application powered by Google Earth Engine. This platform allows users to download spatial and temporal data from several satellites, including Landsat and Sentinel. The collected data, as well as quality parameters of essential oil, were statistically analysed using IBM SPSS Statistics to identify correlations and specific trends. The results showed that lavender NDVI is significantly positively correlated with relative humidity (0.74, p<0.01). On the other hand, NDWI is significantly positively correlated with precipitation (0.71, p<0.05) and relative humidity (0.86, p<0.01). NDWI was significantly positively correlated only with cis-beta-OCIMENE (0.712, p<0.05) and significantly negatively correlated with 1,8-CINEOLE (-0.707, p<0.05), TERPINENE-4-OL (-0.818, p<0.05), Lavandulyl Acetate (-0.709, p<0.05), Lavandulol (-0.680, p<0.05) and alpha-TERPINEOL (-0.650, p<0.05). From all the above, it is clear that remotely sensed indices such as NDVI and NDWI could be utilised to help farmers and crop consultants predict the variability of essential oil quality within a field.

Effects of Hexane Extract of Attalea phalerata Mart. ex Spreng. on Biochemical and Oxidative Parameters of Swiss Mice

Daniela de Souza Vial Dahmer — 2025-09-17

Attalea phalerata Mart. ex Spreng it is a palm tree typical of the Pantanal region of Mato Grosso, whose pulp oil is rich in carotenoids, mainly β-carotene, as well as fatty acids. The study evaluated the effect of administering hexane extract (oil) of A. phalerata on the metabolic and oxidative profile of animals. Twenty-one-day-old Swiss mice (n=31) were divided into three groups: Control group (C) received a diet for rodents AIN 93G; Vitamin-A Deficient group (VAD) received a diet AIN 93G without Vitamin A; and the A. phalerata oil group (AO) received a diet AIN 93G without vitamin A, and soybean oil was replaced by A. phalerata oil. At the end of 45 days, blood and tissues were collected for biochemical, metabolic, and oxidative analyses. The final body weight did not alter in mice. Blood glucose levels and the lipid profile were reduced in the VAD group and increased in the AO group versus the C group. On the other hand, aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), and the AST/ALT ratio were higher both in the VAD and AO groups. There was also a 23% reduction in perirenal adipose tissue in the VAD group compared to the C group. Hepatic glycogen levels were higher in the AO group than in the C and VAD groups. There was an increase greater than 100% in the carbonylated protein levels in the liver of the AO group versus the C and the VAD groups. The changes observed in the VAD group were attributed to vitamin A deficiency. The presence of A. phalerata oil in the diet altered biochemical parameters related to carbohydrate and lipid metabolism, resulting in increased serum glucose, lipid levels, and hepatic glycogen. The increased levels of carbonylated proteins in the liver indicate an increase in oxidative damage.

Formulation Development and Optimization of Polyherbal Gastro-retentive Floating Tablets Using Central Composite Design

Satyajit Sahoo — 2025-09-22

Background: The stomach is an organ with a capacity for storage and mixing. The Gastrointestinal tract (GI) is in a state of continuous motility, consisting of two modes: the inter-digestive motility pattern and the digestive motility pattern. The former is dominant in the fasted state with a primary function of cleaning up the residual content of the upper GI tract.

Objectives: The present formulation contains a blend of natural ingredients such as Glycyrrhiza glabra (Liquorice), Syzygium aromaticum (Clove), Curcuma longa (Turmeric) and Ocimum sanctum (Tulsi).The existing study is concerned with the formulation development and optimization of polyherbal floating tablets via central composite design.

Materials and Methods: Direct compression method was employed to prepare the tablets. Drug -excipient studies were executed through FT-IR and DSC analysis. The independent variables selected were the concentrations of HPMC K4M (X1 ) and Ethyl cellulose (X2 ). The dependent variables designated were Floating Lag Time (FLT) and Drug Release (DR) at 8 hrs. The model was found to be nonlinear and the curvature effect was significant. Hence, the system suggested to central composite design.

Results: FT-IR studies demonstrated that there is no considerable interaction amid the drug and the excipients. Also, studies revealed that drug and excipient were compatible as there is no significant alteration in melting point of drug when blended with excipients. The pre-compression parameters of the formulations showed good flow properties. The evaluation of post compression parameters indicated that all the prepared formulations were within the specified limits. Floating lag time of formulations (F1-F9) were found to be less than 1 min and total floating time exceeding 8 hrs. Percentage cumulative drug release of all formulations (F1-F9) were in the range of 65% to 95%. The obtained design space/contour plots were used for selecting batches in desirable ranges.

Conclusion: The results revealed that experimental design was successfully used to optimize polymer concentrations. It was determined that the central composite design would be used to formulate polyherbal gastro-retentive floating tablets with fewer trials and higher quality features.

Comparative Phytochemical Study and Antioxidant Activity of a Hemiparasitic Plant (Tapinanthus bangwensis Engl. & Krause, Loranthaceae) and its Host (Guiera senegalensis, Combretaceae)

Abdou Sarr — 2025-09-27

Background: Guiera senegalensis is a plant of the Senegalese flora which is sometimes parasitized by another plant called Tapinathus bangwensis. These two species are used in traditional medicine against various ailments.

Aims/Objective: The aim of this study was to conduct a comparative study between the parasitic plant (Tapinanthus bangwensis) and its host (Guiera senegalensis) with regard to their chemical composition and antioxidant activity.

Methods: Phytochemical screening of the two plants leafy stem, was carried out by coloring and/or precipitation reactions. The total polyphenol contents were evaluated by the Folin-Denis method and the flavonoid content by a method using aluminium chloride (AlCl₃) and sodium nitrite (NaNO₂). As for the antioxidant activity, it was evaluated by DPPH and FRAP methods.

Results: The same chemical groups were identified in both plants. However, T. bangwensis was richer in total polyphenols than G. senegalensis with respective contents of 184.27 ± 3.21 and 179.46 ± 1.32 mg EAG/g of dry extract. Thus, T. bangwensis extract showed more antioxidant activity than G. senegalensis extract with respective IC₅₀ of 5.94±0.04 µg/ml and 6.36±0.02 µg/ml.

Conclusion: The parasitic plant has a better antioxidant activity which could be due to its greater richness in secondary metabolites, in particular, polyphenols.

Evaluation of Biological Activity of Ethanolic and Petroleum Ether Extracts of Commercial Clove (Syzygium aromaticum (L.) Merr. & L. M. Perry)

Emir Horozić — 2025-10-15

In this study, ethanolic and petroleum ether extracts of commercial cloves were prepared and analyzed. Soxhlet extraction (SE) and ultrasonic extraction (UAE) were used to prepare the extracts. Phytochemicals from plant material were extracted for 2 hours, in the case of both extraction techniques. The content of total polyphenols and flavonoids, as well as their antioxidant and antibacterial activity, were analyzed in the extracts. The results show an extremely high content of total polyphenols, which was also confirmed by the high antioxidant capacity, confirmed by DPPH and FRAP methods. Antibacterial screening on reference bacterial strains from the WDCM collection shows high potency of clove extracts at the tested concentration. In terms of the efficiency of extraction of bioactive components, petroleum ether in combination with ultrasonic extraction is the most effective. These results may contribute to further research and optimization of the extraction of biologically active components from cloves and related plant materials.

Hepatoprotective Drugs in Madanapala Nighantu: An Analytical Review

Jishnu TK — 2025-09-16

The liver is the largest gland in the human body, that plays important vital functions. Active detoxification of the body occurs in the liver, making more prone to injuries. Hepatitis virus infection, autoimmune disease, genetic disease, cancer and other growths and metabolic diseases like NAFLD (Non alcoholic fatty liver disease), NASH (No alcoholic steatohepatitis) are the common liver disease accounts for a significant global health burden. In Ayurveda liver disease are described in various context like yakrut vikara, kamala, pleeharoga, haleemaka. Madanapala nighandu an important Ayurvedic lexicons that mentions various hepatoprotective drugs. In Madanapala nighantu, 20 out of 525 drugs have hepatoprotective action. It is important to enlist the hepatoprotective drugs and critically analyse them according to the modern research studies done upon them. This review helps researchers to identify potential hepatoprotective plants from Ayurvedic texts and shows how many have already been validated experimentally. It provides a useful database of plants, extracts, and experimental models Analytical reviews provided traditional and ethnomedical knowledge of medicinal plant and Reverse pharmacology validate this knowledge scientifically it is helpful to save time and cost during drug discovery.

Review of Phyto-pharmacological and Nutraceutical Profile of Black Currant Tree (Antidesma ghaesembilla Gaertn.)

Varesh Parihar — 2025-10-11

Antidesma ghaesembilla Gaertn., a member of the Phyllanthaceae family, is commonly known as Mao Luang, Wild Currant, or Black Currant. It is a small fruit-bearing tree widely distributed throughout tropical Asia. Traditionally, different parts of the plant have been used in folk medicine for treating gastrointestinal ailments, infections, and nervous system disorders. Its edible fruits, rich in nutrients and bioactive compounds, are also consumed as a health-promoting food, reflecting its dual importance as both a medicinal and nutritional resource. Phytochemical analyses have identified a wide range of constituents including sterol, triterpenes, phenolic acids (protocatechuic, vanillic), benzenoids (chavibetol), fatty acids, and polyprenols. Aristolic acid derivatives isolated from the bark highlight potential safety concerns due to structural similarity with nephrotoxic aristolochic acids. Pharmacological investigations indicate central nervous system depressant and anxiolytic activity of the fruits, antioxidant, antibacterial, thrombolytic, and cytotoxic potential of the leaves and fruits, and antimycobacterial properties of its endophytic fungi. Nutritionally, the fruits are rich in phenolics and micronutrients, supporting their role as a functional food. The aim of this review is to provide a comprehensive account of the phytochemical profile, pharmacological activities, and nutritional value of Antidesma ghaesembilla, while also highlighting safety aspects and future research needs.